Tag Archives: Peter Milligan

LOOKING FOR BOOKS TO BUY THIS WEEK?

LOOK NO FURTHER.

HERE ARE SOME ISSUES THAT WILL NOT DISAPPOINT.

Josh’s Recommendation…Legion #1“Pretty much entirely because of the FX TV show by Noah Hayley, I’m curious as to what Marvel can do to capitalize on that crossover interest. ‘Legion’ is weird, eclectic, and personal, which is mostly anthetical to Big 2 Superhero comics. But, if anyone can bring some necessary weirdness and introspection to an X-Men comic, it’s Peter Milligan.”

In addition to the previously announced Clean Room by Gail Simone & John Davis Haunt, Vertigo announced 11 more new series to be released in the fall of 2015. They include work by Gilbert Hernandez & Darwyn Cooke, Mike Allred, Ryan Kelly, Tom King & Mitch Gerads, Peter Milligan & Lee Garbett. More details at CBR

Dear Egg Fu – The owner of my local comic shop noticed that I often buy titles published by DC’s Vertigo imprint, and he told me that Disney had something to do with the creation of Vertigo. Sadly, shortly after he started telling me the details he was shot and killed by a customer that was enraged by all the white pages in Jonathan Hickman’s comic books. Can you give me the info on Vertigo’s Disney connection? – Lisa S.

Peter Milligan’s new Image series opens on a disorienting note which announces its genre blending. Artist Leandro Fernandez lays out the first two pages as a set of thin, rectangular panels, each of which offer a constricted view of the action. Fernandez also sticks with close-ups, providing only details of what is occurring. Cris Peter’s colors highlight the occasional feature, such as the yellow glow of skyscrapers at night or a bright green cat-like iris. Such an approach draws the reader deeper into the page, trying to sort out what exactly is happening. The bodies involved are unconventional (monstrous to use a less polite term), while their behavior appears to be more conventionally sexual in the nature. Next Fernandez pulls back for a full page view of the aftermath. The angle remains skewed, the atmosphere menacing, though the figures are now human. Scattered (and shredded) clothes litter the foreground. Milligan’s intentions to mix sex and horror are immediately clear. For those familiar with Milligan’s sizable body of work this should come as little surprise.

On one hand New Romancer is a fun, interesting and relevant comic. On the other hand it feels cluttered, jumpy and distant. New Romancer is another Vertigo #1 to come out before the new year. I’ve been impressed with many of the books and New Romancer was actually one of the most anticipated of the bunch. Unfortunately I was not left with the satisfying feeling that so many of the other number ones have given me. There are definitely some funny concepts in here and a few solid jokes, but it seems to be at the expense of character development and plot direction.

The premise of the comic is that computer programmer Lexy, who has been fired by a large software company, is working for a small dating website and tampering with the idea of setting up fake profiles of historic characters with built in A.I. so it feels like you are actually chatting and flirting with these characters. Sounds lonely and sad. Which is what it is supposed to sound like. Lexy is herself, lonely and sad. She is obsessed with historical poets, which fuels her project with the company New Romancer. Lexy has stolen some A.I. software from her old company Incubator to make her vision possible. As she is putting the finishing touches on the A.I. for the dating website, a solar flare storm hits the city and the A.I. gets transferred into a few deceased bodies. Lexy is pumped because she is actually going to get to meet the man of her dreams, Lord Byron. Turns out the man of her dreams is a misogynistic horn dog. He ends up leaving her in the street as he hops in a convertible with some hot babes.

The book has a lot of promise. The concept of a lonely computer programmer “mad sciencing” her dream guy from the 1800’s and him turning out to be a jerk. It is the slightly raunchier, slightly more dangerous Kate and Leopold. What missed me was the choppy plot delivery and the shallow character work. After the first issue I should have a good sense of the book, but I don’t know what could possibly be coming in the next issues. I have no idea where they could take this plot for it to be interesting enough to carry a series. I’m not sure why Lexy was making this program for New Romancer in the first place, it sounds like a terrible idea and nothing was really said from her hard ass boss, except for if she doesn’t get her work done everyone is fired. What really has me confused is the calmness of all the characters. Why isn’t Lexy freaking out that she seemingly brought a dead poet to life and why isn’t Lord Byron concerned about this. He seems to be taking things pretty well for a guy who was just displaced through time and space. I do not feel like I know Lexy or Byron by the end of this, plus Byron is a dick so I really don’t care about him. The lack of character depth and plot development will be the reason I do not pick up the next issue. If this sounds interesting to you, by all means give it a shot, but it missed me too many times.

Legendary writer and current scribe of the Shadowman ongoing will be launching a three issue miniseries for the character titled Shadowman: End Times with interior art by Bitch Planet’s Valentine De Landro and cover by David Mack and others. Detail at Valiant’s website